IT Operations: Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Thirdsky's customers and end users see the value of the IT Services provided by the company once they become operationally ready and available for consumption.
One could argue delivering IT Services and effectively operating them has some strong parallels to the automotive industry. Automobile manufacturers design and deliver the vehicle to ensure value is received once the vehicle ?goes live? and is in the hands of the consumer.

While it is a fair statement that IT operations and automotive operations are not completely analogous, there are some disciplines and practices in the automotive operation one could easily adopt in IT operations.

The ITILv3 Service Lifecycle does a tremendous job of identifying the major steps in Service Design and Service Transition to effectively ensure IT operations are prepared for success.

Sometimes it is beneficial to look at other service organizations to gain insight and a different point of view on the possibilities for improving IT operations. Look at successful Service organizations outside IT and consider their practices and behaviors. Chances are there are similar attributes regardless of industry or business practice.